The Return of the Rocketeer
by cheri1
Summary: Sequel to the Rocketeer movie. Peevy has rebuilt the Rocket pack and Cliff and Jenny find that Sinclair wasn't the only one interested in getting his hands on it. FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The Nazi officers jumped when Commander Strum banged his fist on the meeting table.

"I cannot believe this!" he screamed. "How can one man bring down months and months of planning?"

He began to pace the room, enraged as the others looked nervously at each other. It had been two days since the Luxemborg had gone up in flames. The propaganda office had had their hands full trying to keep the news of their defeat away from the general population. And on top of the of the loss of one of their best airships and some of the finest pilots and officers in Germany, they had also lost their highest contact within the Hollywood community.

Strum shook his head. Neville Sinclair had been a fool. He had allowed his feelings for Secord's girlfriend to interfere with his mission. Because of him, they had lost the rocket pack. The most essential part of their plans for the takeover of the world had gone up in a fireball above Los Angeles along with Sinclair. Strum pursed his lips. Neville probably would have welcomed death anyway after the Fuhrer had gotten done with him. He pictured him strapped to a table in Mengele's laboratory.

"Sir?"

Strum snapped out of his thoughts as one of the officers cleared his throat.

"Yes, captain. What is it?" he said angrily.

"Didn't Sinclair indicate that the girl had taken back the diagram of the rocket pack that Peabody made when she was at his mansion?" he asked hesitantly.

Strum nodded

"What if she still has it with her, Sir? Couldn't we contact some of our other operatives working around Los Angeles and have them bring her here to Germany? With her here, Secord and Peabody would be forced to cooperate with us or his girlfriend would suffer the consequences."

Strum stood pondering this for a moment, slowly a smile spread across his face and he nodded to the captain.

"Very well, get word that we wish to make Secord's girl the Fuhrer's guest!"

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Cliff yawned and sat up. He winced when he felt a flash of pain from his cracked ribs. He had been suffering the past two days, but it was worth it to have Jenny safe again. He looked around and noticed that Peevy was still asleep. Millie had been kind enough to make room for them in the loft of the Bulldog Cafe while their house at Palm Terrace was being repaired from the firefight with the FBI. Taking care not to wake his friend, he put on his boots and leather aviator jacket buttoning it up in the usual way leaving just a flap of the leather front lying back over his chest. Opening the trapdoor, he descended the ladder into the cafe.

"Mornin' Cliff!"

Cliff grinned over at Millie who was cooking breakfast. At the bar, Goose and Malcolm nodded as they drank their coffee.

"Can I get ya something to eat?" Millie asked

"Yeah, some bacon and eggs, Millie. Sunny-side up. And some orange juice," Cliff said as he slid into a booth.

Millie nodded and motioned her daughter, Patsy to go get the eggs for her.

Cliff watched as Patsy reluctantly laid the bucket that served as her Rocketeer helmet on the counter and run back into the kitchen to fetch the eggs. He smiled at the sight knowing that the Rocketeer was all Patsy would play when she was outside with her friends. He looked up and grinned as Millie sat a large glass of orange juice in front of him and tousled his hair affectionately.

Malcolm spun around on the barstool.

"Ribs okay, Cliff?" he asked with concern.

Cliff nodded.

"They're still tender, but I think they're healing up," he said.

Malcolm smiled and turned back around. He thought of Cliff like a son. He also owed Cliff his life for saving him at the air show. He had been thrilled when Peevy had revealed to everyone at the airfield that he was the Rocketeer. Malcolm couldn't think of anyone more deserving. Peevy and Goose had been constructing a new rocket pack from the schematic that Peevy had from studying the first one. They hoped that they could earn enough from Cliff's appearances as the Rocketeer to take his new Gee Bee that Howard Hughes had given him on an air show tour and perhaps buy a backup in case it broke down or crashed. For the moment though, Goose and Peevy were still working out the design flaws in the rocket pack and the Gee Bee sat locked up in Cliff and Peevy's hanger while they found someone to replace Bigalow. Malcolm frowned. No one had liked Bigalow much, but he still didn't deserve to die the way he did. Folded in half on his floor. He sipped his coffee and sighed. So much had happened in the past few days, it was hard to process it all at once. He watched as Millie fried the bacon and eggs and Patsy grabbed her Rocketeer helmet. They had decided not to tell either one of them of Cliff's secret identity. They didn't want to endanger Patsy or Millie if anyone else came looking for the rocket pack and they knew that Millie would only worry about Cliff's safety anyway.

As Millie sat the bacon and eggs down in front of Cliff, they heard a small screech as the bus pulled up to the stop outside. Cliff looked back and smiled when he saw Jenny stepped down off the bus. Millie noticed Cliff's loving expression and chuckled to herself. She walked back behind the counter waving at Jenny as she stepped through the door.

"Mornin', hon," she said happily.

"Morning, Millie. Can I have a glass of milk please?"

"Comin' right up!"

Jenny looked around and her eyes saw Cliff. She smiled warmly as he slid himself and his food over and allowed her to slide in next to him. Millie sat the milk down in front of Jenny and inched away when they shared a good morning kiss.

"How ya doin?" Jenny said affectionately

Cliff grinned as he rubbed his ribs.

"Other than these hurting like hell I guess I'm okay!"

Jenny laid her head on his shoulder

"Well...I guess it could have been a lot worse for us. We could have been burned to a crisp along with Lothar."

Cliff grimaced

"Ugh…Don't remind me of that human gorilla. He's part of the reason I have the cracked ribs," he sighed. "And the other reason is the fact that bastard Sinclair knocked me around that zeppelin."

He looked down and frowned when she heard Jenny draw in her breath.

"And I'm the reason all of that happened to you too," she said softly.

Cliff's heart began to ache when he saw the pain and guilt in her eyes. He pulled her closer.

"Ah, Jen, don't do this to yourself. You didn't know he was a Nazi agent. Hell, I didn't know either until Hughes started talking about someone who was working for the Nazi's and then I put that together with the fact that Sinclair was ordering Eddie Valentine's men around at the South Seas Club that night and realized it was him. How could you have known, hon?"

Jenny shook her head.

"I know...I know. I just feel so responsible for everything. You almost ended up dead because of me!"

Cliff kissed her forehead.

"But I didn't die, Jen. We're both safe now. Sinclair is dead and so is Lothar. Valentine is behind bars and his gang has been rounded up. There is no one to harm us now. So I want you to quit feeling guilty, okay. If I had it all to do again, I wouldn't have changed a thing. If anything, this has brought us closer together and I'm glad of that. You mean more to me than anything, Jenny. I would have faced a hundred Sinclairs just to make sure you were safe!"

Jenny smiled as she kissed Cliff.

"My hero," she whispered in his ear.

They looked around when Peevy descended the ladder. He smiled at Cliff and Jenny and sat down at the counter. As Millie poured him a cup of coffee, He began to talk to Goose and Malcolm.

Jenny stared over at them for a moment before turning back to Cliff.

"Is he really going to rebuild the rocket pack?" she asked him.

Cliff laughed

"I think so. He's been telling me all these ideas he has for improvements to it and my helmet. You know how he gets with stuff like that. He always wants to tinker with things, refine them, and make them work better. I think he lives for it. He and Goose are working on it secretly back at the hanger and then they are going to have me make public appearances as the Rocketeer when they are done so we can have some cash coming in again. I hate to have Millie cooking our meals for us free of charge, you know. She has to earn a living too."

Jenny grabbed Cliff's arm.

"But Cliff, What if the Nazi's come looking for you and the rocket pack after it's rebuilt?" she asked worriedly.

Cliff squeezed her hand.

"I don't think they'd try. Not after the other day. Besides, the FBI are wise to them now. They'll be on the lookout for anybody suspicious around here."

"I hope you're right, Cliff," Jenny sighed.

Suddenly the cafe door swung open and a man in a three-piece suit and a fedora walked inside. He smiled at everyone and tipped his hat.

"Haven't seen you before, friend," Peevy said.

The man shook his head.

"No, I'm new in town. The name's John Peterson. I'm the new replacement for Otis Bigalow."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Cliff wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his coveralls. He, Peevy, and Goose were in their hanger with the doors and windows closed. The heat was intense, but Peevy and Goose were busy working on the rocket pack at a table in the corner, so they couldn't afford to have anything open in case anyone not from the airfield just happened by...or John Peterson.

Cliff began to oil the parts on the Gee Bee. It had been two weeks since Peterson had assumed his position as owner of the airfield and already Cliff disliked him intensely. He had tried to be friendly to him ever since he arrived but Peterson seemed not to want his friendship. In fact, all he ever seemed to want from Cliff was information, about himself, where he went, and his relationship with Jenny. It irritated him to no end. He didn't mind telling some things about himself, but Peterson seemed to want to delve deep into his past, into things that were none of his business. He looked over at Peevy who was busying studying the schematic. The half-finished rocket pack was spread before them on the table. Every so often, Goose would stop working and consult Peevy on something before resuming whatever he was doing.

"Peev?"

Peevy looked up from the schematic at Cliff who was standing on the far side of the Gee Bee.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of Peterson?"

Peevy shrugged his shoulders.

"He doesn't bother me," he said nonchalantly.

Cliff stared at him in shock causing Peevy to put down the schematic on the table and give him his full attention.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly confused.

"Peev, he's been wanting to know everything about my past. I'm surprised he hasn't started asking you questions too!"

By this time, Goose had stopped his work and was staring at Cliff. He looked over at Peevy and looked back at him.

"He asks you questions?" Goose said.

Cliff nodded.

"Really personal questions. He wants to know things I'd never tell you guys, let alone anyone else."

Peevy and Goose raised their eyebrows.

"Why would he want to know?" Peevy asked.

Cliff shook his head.

"I don't know, Peev. He bothers me constantly. It's getting so when he comes out of his office, I'm walking the other way just so I don't have to deal with him. That's not the worst of it though; he's starting to bother Jen too."

"Bother Jenny? You mean he asks her personal questions about herself too?" Peevy asked in disbelief

"No, not about herself...about me...about us."

Peevy and Goose gave each other confused glances.

Cliff put down the oilcan and grabbed a rag. Wiping his hands, he walked around the Gee Bee and leaned up against it on the other side.

"Here, I'll give you an example," he said. "About a week ago, Jen came by with some sandwiches and milk she had made for us for lunch, so she and I decided to take them out back here into the field and make a picnic lunch out of it. I grabbed an old blanket and we walked about halfway out into the field and sat down. We were sitting there eating and talking with our backs to the airfield when I suddenly felt like we were being watched. I looked behind me and there was Peterson standing on the edge of the airfield just staring at us. He looked like he was trying to make out what we were saying. I decided to just ignore him and I went back to talking to Jen, but I kept my voice down so he couldn't hear me. By the time we finished our lunch and stood back up, he was gone. So I figured he was just trying to see what one of his employees was doing, you know? But when Jen was leaving, he came out of his office and got right in front of her. I was coming out of the hangar and I could see him just talking and Jen shaking her head. I started walking towards them and he suddenly stopped and ran back into his office with this guilty look on his face. I asked Jen what was going on and she said that he had been asking her about our relationship. She kept refusing to answer his questions and kept shaking her head 'no' but it just seemed to make him more persistent!"

Peevy and Goose were stunned.

Anyway, that's why I'm surprised he hasn't asked you or Goose about me yet."

"Well, Clifford, now that you mention it, I think he has tried to approach me a couple of times. But someone always called me because they needed help with something and I don't think he got the chance. I didn't think anything about it. But after you told us that, I'm beginning to wonder if that's what he was trying to do."

Cliff narrowed his eyes as he thought.

"I don't think we shouldn't tell him about the rocket pack then," he said. "Somehow, I just don't trust him."

Peevy and Goose nodded.

"I think that's wise until we figure out what the deal is with him," Peevy agreed.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the hangar door. Peevy and Goose grabbed a tarp and quickly covered the rocket pack. As Cliff walked to the door, they both stood in front of the table, hiding it. Looking back to make sure the rocket pack was hidden from view, he opened the door and sighed inwardly when he saw it was Peterson.

"Good afternoon, gentleman," he said looking over Cliff's shoulder to where Peevy and Goose were standing. "Kind of a hot day to have the hangar closed up like this, don't you think?"

Cliff narrowed his eyes when he saw that Peterson was craning his neck trying to see around the hangar. His eyes finally settled on Peevy and Goose with a look of suspicion.

"May I ask what you are doing in here?" He said when he finally looked back at Cliff.

Biting back the urge to tell him to mind his own business, Cliff took a deep breath.

"We're working on the Gee Bee," he said pointing back to the plane.

"In a closed hangar?" Peterson said pointedly

Cliff searched for a good reason when he suddenly heard Peevy behind him,

"We usually work like this when we work on the Gee Bee. Other air shows do send spies occasionally to gather information about racing planes so they will have the advantage in the air races. We are merely taking a precaution so that that doesn't happen to us," Peevy said as casually as he could.

Inwardly, Cliff thanked Peevy that he was able to come up with a credible explanation. He thanked God he had him as a friend. He had covered for him more times than he could remember.

Peterson narrowed his eyes as he stared at Peevy. Cliff could see he didn't completely buy his story. But to his credit, he didn't press the issue further. He simply looked back at Cliff with an annoyed look.

"I want you working, do you hear me? You better not be in here goofing off while you are on the job," he said angrily.

Cliff nodded, holding back to urge to punch his lights out.

"Sure thing, boss!" he said in a snotty tone.

Peterson glared at Cliff before stomping back to his office.

Cliff closed the door with a sigh of relief and turned to face Goose and Peevy.

"I see what you mean, Clifford," Peevy said to him.

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Cliff turned off the ignition of Peevy's truck and walked up the steps to the front door of the boarding house. He had come to pick up Jenny for their weekly movie night. As he knocked on the door, he watched Miss Pye stomp to the entrance. She had never liked Cliff and she wasn't afraid to make her feelings known to him.

"What do you want?" she said hatefully.

Cliff sighed.

"I'm here to pick up Jenny. You know, it's our night to go to the movies. We do this every week," he said annoyed.

Miss Pye glared at him. She mumbled, "Wait a moment," closed the door and stomped up the stairs toward the dormitories as Cliff rolled his eyes. He didn't know how Jenny was able to put up with a witch like her.

After a few moments, Jenny came down the stairs followed by Miss Pye who by the looks of it was lecturing her. Jenny was nodding absentmindedly trying to be polite. Cliff shook his head. Every week it was the same routine. Just like clockwork.

As Miss Pye opened the door, Jenny quickly stepped through into Cliff's arms. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek laughing inwardly as Miss Pye gave him a warning look. With an overly friendly wave to Miss Pye, Cliff and Jenny walked down the steps to the truck. Opening the passenger door, he waited while Jenny settled herself inside and then closed the door, walking around the back of the truck to the driver's side. As he started the ignition, he looked up at the door and laughed when he saw Miss Pye still standing there, her arms crossed over her chest while she watched them. Jenny looked over at her and then looked back at Cliff.

"She's just concerned about me, Cliff," Jenny said softly.

Cliff snorted as he shifted the gears and the truck rolled off.

"I think you'd be better off if you had a rabid German shepherd in charge of that boarding house," he said with a sly grin.

Jenny giggled and took his hand in hers.

"So what are we seeing?" she asked.

"There's a new Marx Brothers movie that just opened. Wanna go see that?" Cliff asked.

"Sounds good to me!" Jenny said with a kiss on the cheek.

She sighed. She loved these nights out with Cliff. It gave them a chance to be alone and to enjoy themselves. She knew that Cliff hated that she was cooped up in the boarding house, but it was required that she lived there with the other aspiring actresses. It was much easier to reach them for casting calls that way.

She looked over as they pulled up in front of the movie theater. She made a move to open the door when Cliff suddenly grabbed her arm. Looking over, she noticed that Cliff was staring intently at the rearview mirror and frowning.

"Cliff, what's wrong?" Jenny asked.

"There's a black sedan behind us. It's been following us since we left the boarding house. No! Don't turn around," he said when Jenny began to look over her shoulder. "I'm gonna try something, I wanna see if this guy is really following us or not."

As Jenny watched him nervously, Cliff shifted the gear and after checking for traffic eased out onto the road and began to drive away. He looked back and saw that the black sedan had done that same and was behind them a few car lengths back.

"Damn," Cliff cursed under his breath. "The other car IS following us."

Jenny looked up at him fearfully. Her breath beginning to come in short gasps. Cliff reached over and grabbed her hand to calm her nerves.

"I'm gonna try to lose em," he said to her.

Jenny nodded and slid closer to Cliff. She watched as he kept looking back in the rearview checking to see where the sedan was. Ever since the zeppelin explosion, she had harbored fears of something like this happening to them again.

Cliff drove as fast as he could safely manage. He quickly turned onto another road feeling Jenny gasp in surprise as she hit his side. He thanked his lucky stars that his cracked ribs were on the other side of his body because he was sure he would have been in a world of pain by now. He quickly looked in the rearview mirror and frowned when he saw the sedan turn too. Gritting his teeth in anger, he turned again and quickly turned onto another road hoping that the sedan would think he had stayed on the other road. He sighed when he saw that the sedan was not fooled. He racked his brain trying to think of anything to get the sedan off his tail. Suddenly he noticed a police station up ahead on the right. He eased into a parking spot in front of the station and watched as the sedan passed them slowly. He looked over trying to see who it was, but the windows were tinted, much to his chagrin. After slowing down for a moment, the sedan sped back up and went on down the road as Cliff and Jenny watched it go, too shocked to speak.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Two days had passed since the incident outside the theater. After the car had passed them, Jenny and Cliff had sat at the police station for at least a half hour waiting for the sedan to come around the corner and pull up behind them. Nothing more happened and finally, Cliff decided it would be safer for Jenny to be in the boarding house. Reluctantly he took her back, and dropped her off early much to Miss Pye's surprise. After scanning the area, he was satisfied that nothing was out of the ordinary and he got back in the truck and drove back to the Bulldog Cafe. As he climbed into the loft, he startled Peevy who was not expecting him back so soon either. After explaining the events of the evening, Peevy shook his head and warned Cliff to be vigilant.

"You don't know if there are any of Sinclair's henchmen left around here, Clifford. They might want revenge," he pointed out.

Cliff nodded knowing Peevy was right. For the rest of that night, he barely got any sleep occasionally looking out the little window that doubled as the bulldog's eyeball searching for any black sedans.

Since then, Cliff had taken to carrying a concealed Lugar shoved in the back of his jodhpurs and hidden under his jacket. He also called Jenny every night to make sure she was safe and nothing weird had happened. Jenny had landed an audition for a small part in a yet unnamed Leslie Howard romance and the fact that she was away from the safety of the boarding house made Cliff nervous. The other thing that made him nervous was that Peevy and Goose had finally finished the new rocket pack and helmet. They had showed if off to Cliff and he had to agree it was a spectacular job on both their parts. They had come pretty close to duplicating the original look of the pack and the helmet. Peevy pointed out a few improvements they had made, however. Peevy had been able to find a better sheet of Amber to make the lenses. So now, Cliff had a clearer view of the skies. The rudder on the back had also been tweaked a bit to allow Cliff to turn in mid air almost on a dime. As for the rocket pack, Peevy had made a larger fuel tank so Cliff would not have to refuel as much and he added a clever little feature. By pushing on the accelerator button quickly two times, Compressed air would be released from the back of the top portion of the rocket pack allowing Cliff to go in reverse. He had said it before and he would say it again, Peevy was a genius.

He was eager to try it out but they had to wait until after the airfield had closed for the day. None of them trusted Peterson and they didn't want him leaking to the press, at the very least, who the Rocketeer was or stealing the rocket pack and selling it to someone.

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Peterson narrowed his eyes as he saw everyone leaving for lunch. Cliff waved to Peevy who was locking up the hangar. He got on his motorcycle and sped off.

_Probably to that diner again._ he thought as he watched him go.

He watched Goose and Peevy climb into Peevy's truck and follow Cliff. They were the last ones to leave for their lunch hour. Peterson sighed and turned back to the stone-faced man sitting by his desk.

"I'm pretty sure the rocket pack is in their hangar." Peterson said to him. "But I haven't been able to get close enough to check. Not without drawing attention to myself. Secord, especially, is suspicious of me already."

The man sighed.

"That's as may be, Herr Peterson, but the Fuhrer does not like to wait," the man said with a thick German accent. "He wishes to have to the rocket pack now so that his scientists can study it and learn how to mass produce it for our armies! The Fuhrer wishes to complete his vision of a flying commando unit, which can go in before the ground troops and put down any resistance. It is imperative that you get the rocket pack now!"

"Don't you think I've tried?" Peterson said running his fingers through his hair. "The hangar is locked too securely. I want to be able to get the pack and get it to you before they find out its gone. That means I have to try to find a way in without breaking any windows or ramming down any doors. If it's gone, I'm betting Secord will immediately suspect me. He doesn't trust me now! You have to tell the Fuhrer that I'm trying to get it just as quick as I can."

The man slammed his fist down on the desk.

"Do you think the Fuhrer will accept any excuses?" He thundered. "You seem to forget who it is you are working for and just what he could do to you if he wished to. If I were you, I would be getting a hold of that rocket fast before you find yourself in front of a firing squad!"

Peterson gulped at the thought.

"Well, what do you suggest?" he asked.

"I suggest enough of this pussyfooting around. The last time Sinclair kidnapped his girlfriend, Secord willingly gave up the pack in order to keep her safe. I suggest we follow that strategy as well. Only...we will not be fooled by Secord's tricks this time," he pointed to the phone and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here is the number of the boarding house the girl stays at. Call there and ask for her and I will tell you what to say."

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Miss Pye sighed as she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" she said.

"Yes, Um...Is Jenny Blake there?" a voice asked.

"Hang on, let me check."

Putting the receiver down, she yelled down the hallway.

"Is Jenny Blake back yet?"

"Yes! I'm here!" Jenny said stepping out of one of the dormitories

"Phone call" Miss Pye said pointing to the phone.

Jenny nodded and ran to the phone. Picking it up, she expected to hear Cliff's voice. Instead, she heard someone else.

"Yes?" Jenny said tentatively

"Miss Blake? I'm...John Peterson. The owner of the airfield where Cliff Secord works."

"Yes, Mister Peterson. What can I do for you?" she asked hesitantly.

She never got a call from Cliff's boss.

"Um...I hate to tell you this, Miss Blake. But Cliff's been in an accident."

Jenny's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

"Is he okay?"

"Well...I'm not sure. It was a pretty bad accident. See, he was trying out his Gee Bee and it malfunctioned and he...smashed into the ground hard. He's in pretty bad shape...and they aren't sure if he's gonna make it through the night."

Jenny's eyes filled with tears as she swallowed a sob.

"Where did they take him?" she said in a shaky voice.

"Well...I'm not sure. I'm not from around here originally, so I don't know the name of everything yet. I have an address though. If you can catch a bus over here. I can take you in my car."

Jenny nodded and wiped away a tear.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said softly. She hung up the phone and hurried back to her room to grab her purse.

As Peterson hung up the phone, He smiled at the man standing across from him. Together they both laughed.

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Jenny bit her lip as she tried to hold back her tears. The other passengers on the bus were looking at her strangely, but she didn't care. She only cared about getting to the hospital and seeing Cliff. She prayed he would be all right. She didn't know how she would take it if he died. As the bus drew nearer to the airfield, she silently urged the bus to speed up. It seemed like they were going in slow motion. After what felt like hours, the bus pulled up next to the airfield and Jenny ran out and across the field to Peterson's office.

Peterson stepped outside to meet her.

"My car is over this way," he said.

Jenny turned to leave with him when she heard a familiar sound. She looked back around and was stunned to see Cliff pulling up on his motorcycle in front of his hangar. She stood there frozen as Cliff got off his motorcycle. He turned to see her and waved.

"Hey, hon, I didn't think you were coming today! I wouldn't have gone to the Bulldog Cafe for lunch otherwise," he called out cheerfully.

Furious, Jenny spun around in order to give Peterson a piece of her mind for playing such a cruel joke. Instead, she saw him ducking around the corner of his office. Ignoring Cliff, she stomped after him. She didn't notice as Cliff, confused, had started to run across the field after her intending to find out what was going on. Turning the corner, she stopped in mid-step and stared horrified as she saw the black sedan that had followed them the other night. Suddenly, she felt a handkerchief go around her nose and mouth. She struggled as she felt Peterson drag her towards the car. Her vision began to blur as the chloroform began to take effect. She could barely make out Cliff rounding the corner of the building and stopping as she had done in shock.

"What the hell?" she heard him yell out, but now it sounded like he was a million miles away.

Her eyes widened when she saw someone come up behind Cliff and bring something down on his head, knocking him out. While she watched him slump to the ground, the chloroform took full effect and she plunged into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

When Cliff came to, he saw Peevy standing over him with a concerned look on his face. Behind him, Goose, Malcolm and the others talked amongst themselves and pointed at him. When he sat up, they stopped talking and stared at him.

"You okay, Clifford?" Peevy asked as he supported his back.

Cliff nodded and blinked blood out of his eyes.

"Oh God, My head," he said as he put his hand behind his head.

He winced when he felt a bump. Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked around.

"Where's Jenny?" He asked, worried.

Peevy handed him a note.

"We found this on the ground next to you," he said grimly.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Cliff took the note and read it,

Bring the rocket pack and the plans to the address listed below. Do not let anyone follow you and no funny business or Miss Blake dies.

1243 Oceanview Drive.

Los Angeles

Cliff closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it. It was happening again. Just like before with Sinclair. He wished the whole world would leave him and Jenny alone and build their own rocket packs. Groaning, he struggled to get to his feet assisted by Peevy and Goose. They helped him back to their hangar and sat him down on a chair. As Peevy got him a glass of water, he looked at him.

"I gotta go, Peev. I gotta rescue Jen."

Peevy sighed as he handed him the glass of water.

"Clifford, it's a trap. They want you to come."

Cliff nodded.

"I know, but I can't let them kill Jen. I'd rather die with Jen than let her die alone," he said as he sipped the water.

Peevy nodded. He knew he couldn't stop Cliff. He was right, even if it was a trap; he had to try to rescue Jenny. He just hoped he was successful because this time around there would be no Howard Hughes and his autogiro to save them.

Cliff finished his water and stood up. He was still a bit dizzy from the blow to the head, but he didn't care. He had to reach Jenny before something happened. He grabbed the new rocket pack and strapped it around his waist locking the clasp with a small click. Grabbing a gun from the table, he shoved it in the back of his jodhpurs along with the schematic. As Peevy gave him some last minute instructions on all the improvements and how to work them, Cliff nodded and grabbed his helmet. Sliding it down over his head, he wrinkled his nose at the metallic smell. He grinned though, as he fastened the leather strap under his chin. He had really missed flying and the feel of the wind around him and the thrill of flying fast high above the ground. Motioning the others to stand back, he walked out into the airfield and looked up at the sky. His thumbs squeezed on the buttons on each side and with a roar, he felt himself rise up into the air. His stomach momentarily dropped to his feet as he lurched up, but once he steadied out, he felt better. He mashed the accelerator button down and grinned as he felt himself zoom through the clouds. He positioned his rudder so that he turned towards the address, which he knew was a pier about 30 miles from the airfield.

At the speed he was going, it only took a few minutes to reach it. He let off on the accelerator and as he began to slow down, he noticed the black sedan from the other night parked near a dock where a seaplane was resting. Cliff let up on the accelerator some more and began to bring his body into an upright position. He hovered for a moment in mid air before he started to descend to the ground. As he looked down, he could see a couple of people getting out of the sedan and looking up at him. He saw with dismay that neither one was Jenny. He kept letting up on the accelerator until he landed on the pier in front of the men with a small thump and cut the gas. The men stared at Cliff, unsure of what to do. Cliff cleared his throat.

"Where's Jenny?" he asked.

The men pointed towards the sedan. As Cliff walked towards it, they pulled out their guns causing him to stop. He watched as the sedan door opened and Peterson stepped out, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"So nice of you to come, Herr Secord," he said with a thick German accent.

Cliff groaned inwardly. Just like Sinclair, he had been using an accent to disguise the fact he was a Nazi. As he stared at Peterson with hate, He suddenly heard Jenny.

"Cliff!" she called out from the back seat.

Cliff gulped as Peterson slammed the door.

"Sorry Herr Secord, we don't want any distractions while we talk," he said advancing towards him.

He nodded to the two men and they stepped back towards the door of the sedan, guarding it.

"Let Jenny go. I'll do anything you want, but only if you let her go." Cliff said.

More and more it felt to him like a repeat of Sinclair. He half expected Peterson to bark an order and have a dozen Nazi's appear from every direction and seize the rocket pack.

"Would you mind removing the helmet, Herr Secord? It's very bad manners to keep your face hidden like that," Peterson said.

_But a sedan with tinted windows is perfectly alright._ Cliff though as he unsnapped the strap under his chin.

He removed the helmet and held it under his arm as he glared at Peterson. Peterson chuckled at his anger, which made Cliff even angrier.

"Are you happy now?" Cliff asked sarcastically.

Peterson snorted and smiled.

"No, Herr Secord. I will only be happy when that rocket pack and those plans are in my hands," he said

"Let Jenny go and you'll get both," Cliff said trying to keep his anger in check.

Peterson raised his eyebrows.

"My, my, you Americans have balls, I must say. You have two guns pointed right at your heart and your girlfriend's in the car under our control and yet, you feel you can order me around?"

"Ah, but I have something you want," Cliff said pointing back to the rocket pack. You won't kill me as long as it's on my back. The bullet might pass through me and damage the pack."

"Then, I'll just have Miss Blake tortured in front of you," Peterson said calmly.

"Make one move towards the door and I hit the ignition and ram my body and you into the car," Cliff threatened.

Peterson stared at Cliff with admiration.

"You are extremely brave, Herr Secord. I've never met anyone with the guts to say what you're saying, especially while facing death. Why not come and work for the Fuhrer? You would be an asset to the fatherland."

Cliff blinked in surprise.

"You gotta be kidding! You honestly think I'm gonna become a Nazi stooge?"

Peterson shrugged.

"Why not? The Fuhrer is going to conquer the world eventually, so why not be on the winning team? You and your friend, Mr. Peabody could help us develop and build more rocket packs and train our soldiers on how to use them. You would be rewarded with riches, a vast estate, and you and Miss Blake could live out your lives in luxury."

Cliff snorted.

"My God, You lead a rich fantasy life, you know that?"

"I'm being very serious, Herr Secord. It's a lot better than you and your girlfriend dying in agony, wouldn't you admit."

"Actually no, I think I'd rather die in agony with Jenny than be a Nazi."

Peterson shrugged again.

"Whatever you desire, Herr Secord. I was trying to be nice and give you a generous offer. But if you'd rather die with your girl, I think that could be easily arranged."

"Why do you need me anyway? If the Nazis are so much smarter than the rest of humanity, why can't you guys come up with rocket packs of your own?"

Peterson smiled

"We've been trying, Herr Secord," he nodded at one of the Nazis who went to the trunk and opened it. He pulled out two crude looking rocket packs and held them up for Cliff to see. Cliff snorted.

"Really wonderful piece of engineering, I must say," he said as he stared at them.

"They do function, Herr Secord. But they are not reliable. We have run some tests and we finally managed to get them to take off without exploding. But they do not go very far and some of them have been known to stop working while the man was in midair. We lost some of our best pilots that way."

"And you sound really choked up about it too," Cliff said sarcastically.

Peterson shrugged again.

"They are acceptable losses to the Fuhrer. The men knew that the rocket packs might not work, but they still gave their lives for their Fuhrer and for their fatherland."

Cliff snorted.

"After being brainwashed, of course."

Peterson sighed.

"I grow weary of this conversation, Herr Secord. I ask you one more time to surrender the rocket pack or suffer the consequences."

Cliff thought for a moment. He suddenly had an idea. He nodded at Peterson to indicate he had given in. Peterson motioned towards the Nazis. They both started towards Cliff, their guns pointed at him as Peterson walked towards the seaplane, confident he had one. As the Nazis began to take off the rocket pack, Cliff watched as Peterson climbed into the front seat of the plane. Seeing his opportunity, he brought his hands up and grabbed the Nazis heads, bashing them together. As the Nazis fell to the ground on top of each other, Cliff pulled his gun out from behind him and fired a shot at Peterson who was trying to climb back out of the cockpit. Peterson howled in agony as the bullet grazed the side of his head. Cliff watched as he toppled into the water.

He ran to the sedan door and flung it open, holding his gun ready in case there were more Nazis inside. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw only Jenny was in the car. He quickly untied the ropes holding her and helped her out. They hugged each other briefly, happy to be reunited. Cliff instructed Jenny to put her arms around his neck and hold on. He grabbed his helmet from the top of the sedan where he had laid it down and fastened it. He looked up towards the sky and wrapped his arms tightly around Jenny holding her to him. He mashed down on the gas and the accelerator and heard Jenny give a small yelp of surprise as they flew into the air.

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Peterson groaned as he grabbed on to the pontoons under the plane. He managed to pull himself up onto it as he coughed and sputtered. He had seen Cliff and Jenny rise into the air and the sight of it made his blood boil.

_So Herr Secord wants to do it the hard way._ he thought.

He looked up as the two Nazis appeared at the edge of the dock rubbing the sides of their heads.

"Don't just stand there you idiots! Help me! We have to get that rocket pack back!" he screamed at them.

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Cliff held tightly onto Jenny as he flew through the air. He had only flown one other time with someone in his arms and that was when he rescued Malcolm from Miss Mable. That had only been a short flight from the plane to the airbag on the ground. It wasn't like this. He was scared at any moment he might lose his hold on Jenny, but at the same time he didn't want to hold her so tight, she couldn't breathe. She was holding him tightly around his neck. It was uncomfortable but he wasn't about to ask her to loosen her grip. She had her chin resting on her arm on his right shoulder so that she could press her body as close to Cliff as she could. He considered going back to the airfield, but he knew that would be the first place they'd look. The Bulldog Cafe was no good either. He had to figure out a hiding place for them both. He hoped that Peevy and the others had managed to find a hiding place as well. He had a feeling that Peterson had more than those two Nazis lurking around.

Suddenly he heard Jenny scream in his ear. He looked at Jenny who was looking behind him with wide eyes. He looked back over his left shoulder and as he did, the wind hit the rudder on his helmet causing him to tilt sideways. He cursed as he saw what Jenny had been screaming at. The seaplane was emerging from the clouds with a very angry Peterson at the controls. He looked back ahead and his body leveled out again. He tightened his grip on Jenny and pushed down on the accelerator. He heard Jenny gasp as they speeded up.

Cliff smiled when he heard the seaplanes engine growing fainter. He imagined Peterson shouting curses as the old seaplane was left behind in his wake. Suddenly he heard Jenny scream at him.

"Cliff! Behind you!"

Cliff looked over his left shoulder again and saw with dismay that the two Nazis had donned the crude rocket packs and were now following him, each one holding a Tommy gun in his hands. He looked back towards the front as his mind began to race trying to think of a solution. Suddenly a bullet whizzed by them as one of the Nazis fired his gun.

"Hang on, Jenny! I'm gonna try to lose them!" Cliff screamed in her ear.

He felt her arms tighten around his neck and he tightened his hold as well. He looked down towards the ground and let off on the accelerator. He could feel Jenny tighten her arms even more as they began to dive downward towards the ground. He chanced a quick look back and saw that the Nazis were following suit. Cliff held his breath and just before they were going to hit the ground, he suddenly looked up and punched the accelerator. Cliff flew back up into the air in an arc just inches from the ground. He looked over his shoulder and saw that one Nazi had managed to do the same, but the Nazi in front had no time to correct himself and he flew into the ground headfirst with an enormous explosion.

Cliff grinned and turned his head back to the front. He punched the accelerator and flew back up in front of the seaplane. He took another quick look around and saw that the Nazi had flown up behind him and in front of the seaplane. Cliff grinned. They were falling for his plan.

"Jenny, Hold on tight!" he screamed at her.

He quickly pushed the accelerator button two times and felt himself being thrown into reverse. He heard the Nazi scream as he flew back towards him and then there was a thud as his head connected with Cliff's rocket pack. Cliff mashed down on the accelerator and he felt himself being propelled forward again.

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Peterson's eyes widen as he suddenly saw Secord lurch backwards through the air. He could see the Nazi in front of him connect with the rocket pack. The force propelled the Nazi backwards. The last thing Peterson saw was the Nazi's body as it smashed through the windshield and into him.

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Cliff let up on the acceleration and quickly up righted himself. He spun around and hovered in midair. He and Jenny watched as the seaplane shot downwards like an arrow and land in a field below them causing a massive explosion and a fireball that rose a mile into the air. He sighed as he held Jenny tight. After watching the burning wreckage for a moment, he hit the accelerator and flew back towards the airfield.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cliff rolled his eyes.

It was movie night again and Miss Pye was up to her usual routine. He hoped Jenny would find some decent acting jobs soon, so he wouldn't have to put up with her. It had been a week since Peterson's death. Peevy had informed the FBI about Peterson and they had been busy rounding up all his Nazi associates. Cliff hoped that this would be the last time he would have to deal with the Nazis. He doubted it though. He and Jenny would probably only be truly safe when Hitler was dead or out of the way and then there would probably be others like him, all wanting to possess the ultimate weapon.

Cliff smiled as Jenny finally came out the door with Miss Pye right behind her.

"Have her back in one piece," she threatened him.

"Yes, Miss Pye," Cliff said with mock sweetness.

He grinned when Miss Pye grew angrier. He actually did kinda like tormenting the old buzzard. It gave him something to look forward to each week. He gave a little mock salute to Miss Pye as they walked down the steps towards Peevy's truck. He hoped that from now on, Miss Pye would be the only villain in his life.

He smiled at Jenny as she settled in her seat. He closed the door and walked to the driver's side. It had been her week to pick and he knew he had to endure another sappy romance movie. After all they had been through, he wouldn't have it any other way.

THE END


End file.
